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Benny Feilhaber and the US MNT are only begining to come into focus

Ching, Dempsey, Beasley, Donovan, Clark, Feilhaber, Spector, DeMerit, Onyewu, Simek, Howard

That was the line-up I went with ten days ago, after watching the first round of the Gold Cup. It’s pretty close to the most successful line-up today. It’s all relative, however, it could be anybody in the context of a nervous team in a nervous game. But they came through, and it’s a chance to take stock before heading to South America.

Catch your breath after the jump…
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One commenter and a few e-mails wondered about my more specific thoughts regarding the jerseys, so I guess I’ll throw my hat, or jersey, in the ring. I’ve got some ideas about colors and design, but it falls under one basic law: a crest does not improve the appearance of anything. Get it out.
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What’s Johnson thinking? Maybe that he’ll never see this jersey again.

We’re in the midst of a nice little tourney, and another is loaded in the barrel. 2007 should be a drawing some new eyes to US Soccer. It has, kind of. For instance, the NY Times staff’s soccer fans have come out of the woodwork to cover the Gold Cup. And my favorite (the only?) on-line magazine, Slate (ok, Salon is good too, but not as quirky), has gotten into the mix with a slideshow through the history of US Soccer Jerseys. It’s as topical as it gets - this is Slate after all - but a good question is asked:

“Who’s ever heard of an army that has to change its uniform every year?”

more after the jump…
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For the Gold Cup, it’s defections. For Copa America, It looks like it’s going to be protests. While Franklin Foer must be riveted, it begs a question.

Is it right to co-opt sport in the name of politics? What about human rights?

Right or Wrong, soccer is faced with such circumstances more than any other sport, in no small part due to its international renditions. With the growing pains of progress and its rebuke proliferating like kudzu in the American south, let’s just hope these renditions don’t become extraordinary.

From fans to fanatics, we all need to be reminded it’s just a game.

From the series, The Dodo and Mauritius Island, Imaginary Encounters, 2004. Harri Kallio.

This post has taken me longer to put together than a lot of posts. And it’s just names on paper. And it’s exactly why I don’t do this stuff, almost ever. After the jump is my best 11, with just enough explanation to leave my words wavering in the wind. Get in your shots while the getting is good!
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Two national team games in 48 hours, To say the second was more fun to watch than the first, couldn’t explain how nice it was to not have Carlos Ruiz on the field (thank god I don’t live in Dallas). U.S. Coach Bob Bradley chose to rest his veterans and come with an almost entirely new roster against the tired patchwork quilt that presently is the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Interestingly, the two starting rosters were almost completely different than those sent to Germany last summer.

You get a couple things from this squad rotation. While the historically stronger players get some rest, Bradley gets to see more players, and young players in real competition. Against a lesser opponent maybe, but the B-team, if you will, didn’t look that far behind the A-team.

The real truth is after the jump…
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a nation turns its lonely eyes to you (photo credit: Dave Osborne)

On Monday, USSF officially announced a national academy as part of new initiatives in their development program. The press release announces, “In a move designed to improve the development environment for players throughout the country, the U.S. Soccer Federation has taken the initiative in formalizing a nationwide development academy slated to begin in the fall of 2007. The U.S. Soccer Development Academy will begin with up to 80 elite youth soccer clubs from around the country being selected to join the program.”

I’ve said it before, and I still believe it to be true. Nothing is more important to American soccer than youth development. There’s no lack of lively debate over what shape the youth systems are presently in, but no doubt coverage of said debate is lacking (at the time of this writing, none of the top outlets – ESPN, SI, NYtimes, etc - have even a mention of it on their soccer pages). The Toledo Blade does have a piece about Wal-Mart funding the refurbishment of a soccer complex for the Adelante Latino Resource Center and Latin Soccer League, and it’s no surprise that Stephen Goff, the lone ranger of on-staff soccer beat reporters, pays it some attention, but even that is at his Insider blog (not the Post’s true soccer page), and it’s from last week when the decision to launch the academy was being discussed.

Does anyone care? The fine print and what it all means is after the jump…
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Feilhaber and Kljestan: new faces caught by a USSF photographer

US MNT 4, China 1. Game reports from Yanks Abroad and The Associate Press.

I’ve been saying for weeks: Feels Like Home. It’s summer, and US MNT is back with a full schedule of games that matter. Which is why their last tune-up before the Gold Cup commences later this week was like fantasy land. First CAPS all around! Over-the-Hill Bradley Alum: come on down! You’re the next contestant on Friendly International Soccer Against Lesser Opponents. It’s a reoccurring series. I think Versus is thinking of picking it up. Syndication is after the jump…
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It feels like summer. It feels like home. Rosters were announced and the games matter, starting next week. One last tune-up will have our Yanks abroad taking the field, as MLS teams were given the obvious reprieve before their best players are stolen for a good part of the summer. The better the US MNT does, the worse-off MLS teams will be: chalk another up for the scheduling gods. Oh, by the way, a little side tourney called the US Open Cup – maybe you’ve heard of it – begins on June 12. I’ve heard of it, but what is this USL you speak of?

After the jump are the two rosters (and one kind of random link not to be missed) - who sticks out to you on the China roster (some new names there) - that will face China on Saturday, in San Jose, California, at Spartan Stadium, 5 p.m. PT; the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision - and Guatemala on June 7 (all Gold Cup games will be live on Fox Soccer Channel)…
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Ives Galarcep gives us a few names to watch out for as we ponder who Bradley will take to the Gold Cup. All fine selections, but without a big surprise – though that isn’t Ives’ fault. What, is he supposed to pick a loser just to stick out, as ESPN apparently had John Kruk do on Baseball Tonight? Ah, sports journalism (can the J-word even be used here?). So good sometimes I want to cry.

The problem with the list, any list: there are no stand-outs. How do you pick between Harrington, Parkhurst, and Dunivant? You could even throw Boswell in there. Is there really that big of a difference between the players? Beckerman, Mapp, Kljestan? As national teams like Brazil cast off would be MLS stars, the US MNT is forced into borderline players. It’s a reality that is unavoidable, and makes Bradley’s job particular difficult (and intriguing).

Ideally, US MNT players should be solid starters on foreign soil or killing it in MLS. Clearly, that is not our present situation for even 11 starters. Who Bradley chooses to put on the field this summer will speak more about American soccer than the wins and losses (though the same might not be able to be said for Bradley who (re)opens his campaign with the more pressing Gold Cup).

At least Onyewu has some free time this summer to put an unusual season behind him. What better way to shop himself after a less than stellar season than by a strong international summer?